Techniques utilised in model production can be classified in four different categories. These model production techniques are deducting, forming, adjecting and molding. Below are explanations regarding each model production technique;
Deducting consists of hewing a single mass with hand, tool or computer aided cutting machines until it takes desired shape.
Forming describes processing materials which are suitable for being formed manually or by tool or machines such as press until desired product is produced.
Adjecting is gathering various material and parts together in order to form the desired product via different kinds of methods. Adjecting can be realized through methods, which depend on properties of materials being used, such as glueing, screwing, riveting, welding, soldering. 3D printing techniques, a relatively novel technology, are also in this category.
Molding is product manufacturing technique including stages of pouring materials into molds which have been previously formed through at least one of the various production techniques so that materials take shape of the mold and applying processing methods such as heating or cooling, which differ according to properties of material, so that materials solidify and become monolithic.
All intermediate and end products are produced via the utilisation of one or more production techniques mentioned above.
Particularly, in manufacturing industry, usage of molding technique is widespread as for the production of either intermediate or end product or any other production tool, mold is produced first and material is poured into the mold and subjected to processing.
However, via molds, only products which are in shape of molds can be produced, and whenever a change, even a minor one, in the design and shape of product, existing molds become obsolete and a new mold in the new shape of product is required to be produced.
Therefore although production technique of molding provides a considerable economic advantage as it makes possible to produce a high number of same kind products, serial production in other words, it lacks flexibility requisite for serial but also customisable production according to customers' individual expectations, which is also defined as customised serial production, without increasing cost. On the other hand, existence of patents regarding variable shaped mold production methods is observed. For instance, in the patent numbered U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,343A and issued on 19 Jul. 1994, a machine consisting of screw groups in which screws with tips formed to take shape of mold surfaces are adjacent to each other through their notches and collectively movable via computer aided mechanisms was described. However, this and similar machines are only related to the production of mold surfaces and they do not have numerous advantages of a production method which can make it possible to produce end products directly through significantly simplifying production stages so that they become processable within a single machine without the necessity of production of intermediate products such as molds.